Black Sanctuary
by Aruta Rianu
Summary: Strength and Power are two good things a person may possess... however, when it falls in the wrong hands it can turn into an unforgivable chance of sweet, sinful decadence. KuroFay Rating may go up!


Title: Black Sanctuary  
By: Xenovyr

Pairing: KuroXFay (Kurogane and Fay)

Fanfiction: Rated T (For foul language ^^ hehe)

A/N: Hello! My name's Xenovyr and it's my first time to join ! So, uhm… Anou… Please enjoy this short fanfic on the famous (and-ever-so CANON) KuroFay pairing from the anime Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles! I would appreciate it if you leave in a comment.

A little warning, though; my fanfic contains a few spoilers that have something to do with Fay's sorrowful and unforgettable past. So if you are one of the people who have yet to reach the Celes/ Seresu Arc, kindly stop yourself from reading any further if you may wish to do so. ^^

Disclaimer: Just like every writer in this website, I do not own Tsubasa. If I did, I would've been damn rich. The Anime and the characters included in this written composition belong to their respective copyrights. Note in mind that TRC is another one of CLAMP's remarkable creations.

xxXxx

"Black Sanctuary"  
Prologue

It was another peaceful day here in Evalence, with everything and everyone all in place. The people chattered happily with one another as they walked along the colorful, well lit streets of the bright and cheerful country while some shop for ingredients in the mini stands that stood near the roads.  
Arashii, a woman who looked likely to be in her mid-20's, picked up a few bundles of Guvatoes from a nearby vegetable stall. Standing at her right side was her husband Sorata, whistling softly to the air a newly-found song that he heard from his fellow workmates back at home. However, Arashii's husband stopped whistling abruptly when he heard a descending (and not to mention a marveling) sound which seemed suspiciously like something heavy falling. As the couple and the other passers-by wondered where it came from, they noticed that it wasn't only a sound of something heavy falling.

There were also the combined screams and shrieks that can be heard getting louder and louder by the second.

"S- Sorata..! Run!" Arashi exclaimed, pointing at an unidentified mass of black stuff that looked like it can land on top of her husband in a few seconds. Sorata quickly responded to his wife's call and leapt forcefully away from the landing spot of whatever it is that was falling, rolling around on the street.

"IYAAAAAAAAAH!!! WE'RE GONNA CRASH!" a panicking Sakura shrieked from way beyond. Syaoran, the messy-haired boy, tried to calm the frightened princess. "Sakura-hime, calm down, we'll definitely land safely--!"

"Eheh~! Syouran-kun's right, Sakura-chan!!! Big strong Kuro-sama's going to break our fall like always!" Fay the magician with the oversized fluffy white coat shouted back at Sakura. Kurogane, the ninja clad in black glared unbelievably at the mage with his eyes wide open. "WHAT--?! DON'T JUST SAY SUCH STUFF, YOU BAST-"

However, Kurogane's outraged reply wasn't able to continue since by the time he was about to say the trash word, he crashed heavily right on top of the wooden vegetable stall, sending chunks of wood and a wide variety of vegetables flying through the air of the once-peaceful place that was Evalence. The ninja was fine of course, but only before Fay, Syaoran and Sakura fell right on top of him one by one. First the lanky blonde man, then the kid, and then the princess. They were actually in a very humorous position, if one would observe.

Kurogane, who fell right on his stomach, was toppled over by Fay with both his legs on either side of the ninja's face, his slender upper body fixated in such a way as a person without bones would lie on the floor. Syaoran and Sakura, in the other hand, landed in a very amusing situation. The boy landed on his stomach on top of the wizard with his butt sticking out in the air, as the only girl in the group sat harmlessly and ever so innocently…

… On top of Syaoran's exposed bottom.

"Haha… I told you so, Sakura-chan! We'd be able to land safely as long as we have daddy by our side." The lanky one from all four of them teasingly remarked. Sakura stood up hurriedly in embarrassment and bowed apologetically at her companion in the green cloak. Syaoran, even though being humiliated in such an unexpected manner, stopped his princess from bowing and just laughed forcefully. "It's alright, Sakura-hime. As long as you're safe… hahaha…" he muttered, trying to mask his supposedly flushed face. Suddenly, Mokona fell right on top of Syaoran's head and said, "We've landed on the next world!!!"

Fay sat up from the mess and coughed silently due to the dust that their crash landing had created. He looked around and noticed that a lot of this world's citizens were staring at them, in amazement and in shock. Amazement since they were able to survive in such a deadly fall and in shock because of the question "Where did they come from" or something like that. Fay blinked a couple of times at the growing group of people and smiled innocently at the crowd as if he was showing them that they weren't dangerous although they just came falling down from the sky. However, the magician was bothered by the moan of pain that came from below him. He looked down and saw the ninja, flinching in pain. "How long are you still going to sit on top of me, you annoying little bastard..? Ugh…" Kurogane hissed. Fay thought about what his companion said and after a few seconds, laughed innocently and stood up from on top of Kurogane. "Oh. I'm so, so, so sorry, Kuro-puu! I kinda forgot what I was sitting on." He helped the ninja get on his feet and hugged him as if he were a little child, petting him in a teasing manner. "Is my little Kuwo-kun hurt, huh? Is hee? Aaaaw…" This only made Kurogane get angrier than he already is. He shook the tight embrace of his companion and chased Fay around the place. "What the fuck?! Don't treat me like a little kid!" he exclaimed at the mage who in turn covered his ears to save them from Kurogane's deafening scream as he ran away. "Hahaha! Kuro-sama's angry!"

The children and Mokona only looked at their other two friends scampering around, unable to notice a crew of swordsmen approaching them. "Oy! Who are you people and what are you doing here?" Sakura, who was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder, gasped and scurried behind the boy in fear. Syaoran raised his left arm to the side as a sign that nobody should go near his princess. He observed that the person who scared Sakura was a palace guard, judging from his clothing and the emblem of a royal phoenix that was emblazoned on his armor as well as the other people that stood beside him.

Kurogane and Fay stopped their chase in alarm and quickly joined their other traveling companions. "What seems to be the problem, mister?" Fay asked calmly at the guard who now pointed his sword at Syaoran. The guard eyed the blonde guy in suspicion.

"Are you in cahoots with that Crimson Knight?"

Fay and the others looked at each other, puzzled.

"Huh? What's this shit you're yapping about?" The ninja said, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Damn right you don't know what I'm talking about!" It was a sarcastic tone.

Fay kept his smile in place and chuckled.

"As much as I hate to break it to you, we aren't. We just arrived in this place a while back." the magician asked back, his head tilting to the side.

"Stop pretending and tell me the truth!"

"But I am telling you the truth!"

Talk about lack of patience.

The guard growled lowly and started to run towards Fay for an attack, but became unsuccessful when the man beside the blonde drew Sôhi and blocked the guard's sword to protect Fay. Kurogane put so much force in Sôhi that the other man's weapon flung to the ground.

"If you ever lay a finger on him, you're dead." The ninja told the stunned soldier in front of him. The guard backed away for a few steps, trying to keep calm. He watched the long blade in front of him in case it would swing at his head. The guard's other companions raised their swords warningly to defend themselves if the taller man from the other side was to attack.

"Stop!" A voice from the crowd behind them yelled. It was Sorata and Arashi.

"These people are my visitors," Arashi said to the guards, her eyes flashing angrily at them. "They have nothing to do with that issue."

Oddly, the palace guards shuddered in the tone that she used and quickly bowed in apology. "P-please accept our apology, Arashi-sama! W-we had no idea…"

"Shut your mouths!"

The group of soldiers flinched.

"Don't show your faces in front of me until I get back to the castle later! Now go back to your posts!"

They quickly obeyed their master and rushed towards their stations, afraid that they might be screamed at again.

Syaoran, Sakura and the others watched the 4 soldiers that scuttled away and finally turned towards Arashi.

"Thanks for saving us back there… We thought we would be had for good." Sakura said to the girl with flowing black hair. Arashi turned around to stare at the people she saved, one by one. Eyeing them carefully, a chill ran down Sakura, Syaoran and Mokona's spine. Kurogane just stood still while Fay laughed as if he didn't mind her uncomfortable, yet intimidating look. "You people," she started, still not removing her great dark orbs away from the group, "Aren't from this world, are you?" Sorata, who was shooing the other passers-by suddenly turned his head to his wife and looked at her skeptically, doubt evident on his face.

"What do you mean, honey? Surely enough, they can't be-"

"They're not from this world." She repeated with a cool, clear voice. Fay and Kurogane glanced at each other. The blonde magician smiled at the ninja clad in black. Kurogane just raised an eyebrow at him until finally; he noticed what that sudden look meant.

Let's tell her the truth, shall we?

Kurogane just shut his eyes closed and made a low grunt as a response. Fay just grinned lightly at his companion and turned back to the couple right in front of him. "Your presumption's right. We're not from this world." He said. A smirk just crossed Arashi's face as she stepped closer towards the group. "We haven't been introduced properly, have we? My name is Arisugawa Arashi, one of the head priestesses of Evalence and this is my husband Sorata. He's the troupe leader of the palace guards."

"Yeah… nice to meet you too. My name's Fay D. Flourite, but you could call me Fay," The magician beamed as he shook hands with her. "These people with me are my traveling companions. The boy in the green cloak is Syaoran." The said boy waved in the air, smiling gently.

"Hello."

Fay skipped to Sakura's side and hugged her gently as if she were a little kid. "This is Sakura, the only girl in our group." He continued, letting go of the brunette. Mokona flew towards Arashi and her husband who looked amazed by the little fluff ball that unexpectedly jumped on top of Sorata's shoulder. Who wouldn't be surprised by a white indescribable thing that can talk and fly? "I'm Mokona! I'm everybody's idol!" It implied happily as it cuddled on the man's face.

"And this," Fay muttered with a mischievous tone, walking towards the ninja clad in black and placing a hand on top of his head, "Is our dog, Kuro-wanko."

At first Kurogane didn't notice at all what the idiot had just said; He needn't listen, anyway. The magician was just doing the introductions, that's all. He simply stood there, without any reaction. But he heard that taboo word. The word wanko. Wanko; a dog. Woof, woof. Bark.

"What did you just say, mage?" He hissed, his expression of powerful –not to mention merciless- anger hidden underneath the shadow created by his red headgear. The said magician spun himself around to be able to look at the ninja more clearly. "Hmm? I said Kuro-wanko. Why, is there something wrong?" He asked ever-so-sweetly, with a fake innocent look on his face. Kurogane wasn't able to contain his rage anymore and with one swift movement, he went on to grab Fay and strangle him. Unfortunately, Fay ducked just in time, and then the chase began between the two men. Sounds of laughter ringed annoyingly in the ninja's ears, urging him to catch the lanky magician just to make him shut up. "COME BACK HERE, YOU BASTARD!!!" He roared out at Fay. Arashi and the others just watched them run around.

"Would you please stop fooling around for a moment?" She said with a voice so daunting that the two of them ceased from their own game obediently. After a little moment of peace, the girl with flowing black hair started to talk once again. "Would you like to stay with us for a while? It seems that you still do not have the money to rent for a place to stay." Her husband smiled at them and crossed his arms over his chest. "Our rule in Evalence is that we should help those people in need, whether it might be a stranger or a fellow Evalean."

"Is it okay for you guys? We've just met and…" Syaoran inquired. It was quite unusual for people to welcome such strangers into their own homes. Sure, the gang had met this couple for numerous times in their journey in different worlds, but what if the Arashi and the Sorata in this world aren't kind and generous like the other Harisugawas they've met? What if they were in cahoots with that Fei Wang?

Arashi smiled at the boy. "You could stay there with us. We don't really mind."

"No, it's okay Arashi-san. We can manage to look for a place to stay." Fay immediately defended Syaoran's point. He also felt the same way about their sudden offer. Even though the group somehow made their own decision of rejecting the offer, Arashi and Sorata still tried to convince them to stay at their house for the night. "But it would be dark soon and people might-"

"Why are you that desperate that we should come over to your place? Is it that important? Or rather, the question should be; are you two doing this for the sake of that rule you said this world should follow or do you want something else from us that you secretly hide?" Kurogane suddenly shot back. Being a very observant and conscientious person as he can be, he managed to reveal what lay underneath the never-ending plead from the couple in front of them. Fay looked up at his companion and then glanced over at Arashi and Sorata.

"Uhmm, I think what Kuro-sama meant was-"

However, Fay's sentence was cut midway when Arashi spoke.

"I guess we won't be able to hide it anymore, can we?" she muttered as she shut her eyes. "I shall explain everything to you once we reach my place that lies inside the palace grounds."

xxxXxxx

"Itadakimasu," Everyone except Arashi, Kurogane and Fay cheered before they ate the wonderful feast prepared for them.

The meal they shared together that evening was pretty much as dead as frozen time. No one spoke a single word (with Mokona as an exception for eating in such a loud manner- talk about lack of etiquette... in a cute way.)

As soon as everyone was done with their food, Sorata stood up from his seat and coughed on purpose to attract attention from their guests. "I've prepared your guestrooms already. Do you want to take a rest now?"

There was total silence.

"Uhmm… Is everybody okay?" He asked, glancing at almost everyone inside the room. Sakura felt the awkwardness and just made a remark to ease it up a bit. "Uugh," she stretched her hands up in the air. "I'm getting a little bit sleepy…" She sat up straight on her seat and smiled tiredly at Sorata.

"Sakura-chan, Syaoran-kun, Moko-chan," a voice called from near the glass window said. The kids and Mokona looked at that direction and saw Fay leaning on the wall, a warm smile plastered on his face. "Why don't you kids go to bed? It's starting to get a little late." Syaoran stood up from his chair and nodded silently. "I guess we should. We have a lot of things to do tomorrow morning." The boy said as he walked towards the princess. "Let's go upstairs, Sakura-hime." At this, the brunette girl smiled in agreement and stood up.

"Mokona will stay here!" The white round creature cheerfully beamed at them. Kurogane growled lowly, obviously annoyed by the small but terrible hindrance.

"Oh no, you won't. If we... or I want you out of here, you will leave, even if it means that I would have to throw you out myself."

"Waaai! Fay-Mommy, Kuro-Daddy's getting violent again!" It wailed, fake-crying as it jumped into the blonde's arms. Fay just giggled lightly and patted Mokona's head in a gentle manner. "Mokona, Kuro-puu's right. Would you go upstairs and sleep with Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan, please?" For a moment, Mokona refused to leave the room but after a little convincing, it soon gave in and flew to their guestroom's direction along with the two other kids.

As soon as the room was left by the children- and one particular animal-, the real conversation started between the four adults.

"You haven't told us what this secret you're hiding from us is all about." Kurogane started, leaning more to the backrest of his chair. Fay, whose smile was plastered on his face, had now disappeared. Both of them were curious about this and as much as they tried to hide it, they were also worried about the coming news. After all, it might affect their stay in this world no matter how small or big it might be. "What seems to be the problem?" Fay asked as he strode towards another chair that stood near his other companion. The priestess took a deep breath and looked at their guests in utter solemnity.

"A long time ago in Evalence, there were two kings that ruled this country. Both were extremely skilled but both were also very different from each other, despite themselves being twin brothers."

"What does that have to do with us?" Kurogane murmured indifferently. Fay, who was now seated beside Kurogane, pinched the ninja's cheeks hard to make him stop commenting useless annotations, telling him to listen more and complain less. "Continue, Arashi-san. Please don't mind my pet; he just doesn't know when to shut his mouth."

Kurogane felt like throwing the blonde man out of the abnormally large window that was right in front of him, but alas, he can't. And so, he had no choice but to sit back down and calm his boiling head.

Arashi continued her story as soon as the two men seemed to lend all their ears to her.

"One of the twins, Yue, was a good leader. A leader of respect, good fortune, and a model of sincere devotion to the nation is what he was made of. He put his skills of leadership into good use. However, his other twin was the exact opposite. He was a king unworthy of the great power of dark magic given to him. He was often labeled as a monster; a mere follower of darkness that hungered for power and wealth. His name was Ashura… The Prince of the Demons.

The ninja, upon hearing the name, suddenly remembered of a time when he and that damn mage had to share a room during their travels.

FLASHBACK

Kurogane can't go to sleep.

For some odd reason, something was keeping him awake. He didn't know what it was, but that something was telling him that something important will happen.

As he rolled uncomfortably around his bed to find a side that might lure him to dreamland, he can't help but groan lowly. Maybe if I just shut my eyes, I might be able to at least take a nap… He thought to himself as he forced his blood red orbs to be covered by his eyelids and listened to the deafening tune of silence. It was actually working; having to hear no sound was working. He was just about to fall asleep when he heard a stifled moan of a familiar blonde man from his far left side. Having been disturbed by the sudden noise, a single ruby eye peered at the magician that lay on a bed that was not situated too far from his own.

He saw his fellow companion lying on his stomach with his face buried underneath a pillow. He seems alright… Kurogane thought as an eyebrow rose in confusion. He fixed himself around in the bed and started to close his eyes again when he heard another sound coming from the said magician.

This time it wasn't a moan. It was a gasp. A very crisp, noticeable gasp of what appeared to be fear, horror, and pain combined altogether.

Kurogane stilled slightly at the soft noise.

He sat up on his bed and eyed Fay inquisitively, wondering why he was creating such unusual sounds. As he watched the mage longer and longer, he was surprised to see that with each passing moment, Fay's nightmare was turning worse. A pale hand clutched the bed sheets as it trembled weakly as he muttered words that reflected his terror. All of a sudden, Fay tossed himself violently around the bed, his breath becoming uneven, cold sweat running down from his face.

"Ashura… No…" He managed to breathe out from his quivering lips. Kurogane didn't know whether to wake him up or leave him alone. But he can't leave him alone! He was starting to get worried, even if he tried his best not to.

The ninja stood up abruptly from the bed and quickly walked towards the magician's side, his big strong hands taking a hold of Fay's petite shoulders that are ready to shake him back to reality. 'Oy, idiot! Wake up! Wake up!" his voice roared out as he gave Fay a rough shake.

"DON'T..!" The blonde magician let out a cry before he sprang up, his light azure orbs wide open. Kurogane, relieved to see him in consciousness, sat on top of Fay's bed and let out an infuriated yet content sigh.

"What the hell's gotten into you?! You've been making such a --" He was cut off when he saw tears flowing down from Fay's stark white, sweaty face, his long blonde locks sticking onto his forehead. Kurogane was shaken upon seeing him; the real him.

This was Fay. The Fay without any defensive barriers. The Fay who held and kept the pain he felt inside his heart. The Fay who released all of his anger and self-hatred in a form of a smile, the mask that kept him far away from any person's reach. The Fay who wished to die to end everything that came and stayed to haunt him for the rest of his life. And most of all…

… The Fay that just wanted to experience the feeling of being loved truthfully and what can be called real.

He wanted that kind of love.

Unconditional Love.

Kurogane's wish had been granted. The wish to see the real magician that he longed to unveil. Now that he'd seen it, what else can he do?

Fay's chest rose and fell rapidly, as though he just lost a great amount of air to breathe. The ninja bent lower to examine him carefully. "O-oy, are you okay..?" He asked out of concern, struggling to be gentle and less daunting that he never was. Fay, who buried his face in his hands, tried his very best not to look at the other man in front of him.

His strong barrier was falling. Crumbling, Fading…

He wanted someone he could lean on to, someone that could comfort him. It didn't matter who it might be, as long as he had someone beside him right now. It didn't matter if he was exposed, his emotional state completely naked in more ways than one. It didn't matter if he was starting to betray the vow he made to his own ego to shun himself away from the others to protect them from his misery and misfortune. It didn't matter at all…

The tears then began to flow uncontrollably as he leaned forward on Kurogane's chest. He wept silently, his hands grasping on the soft fabric of the ninja's shirt with all of the pain visible in the wizard's sudden breakdown. At first Kurogane wanted to push the man away but seeing him in such a condition in which he could never describe with words he just sat still and became a physical support to him. He didn't hug him back or caressed his head; he simply watched him cry all his sorrows away.

The next thing he knew, the magician fell asleep once more. Kurogane lay him down on the bed and tucked him in under the blankets. Before he turned to his own bed to sleep, he found himself gazing at Fay's face.

"If I have the chance…" the ninja whispered to the wind, "I will protect you even in your dreams."

END OF FLASHBACK

Kurogane observed Fay through the corner of his eye. A soft, unnoticeable shudder came from the magician as he heard the name; the name that belonged to somebody that he had been running away from. Why- and most especially how- could such a name give him so much pain and fear?

Fay's facial features softened in a few moments. Maybe he just told himself that it can't be that person he keeps on avoiding. Kurogane told himself. But for now, what's more important is the story the priestess is telling.

"For a long time, the brothers fought for the position as the one, true king of Evalence. However, King Yue was in the verge of losing due to the lack of men to be brought in battle and the never-ending draught that untimely struck the city that almost lasted for about a decade. But this did not stop Yue from believing in miracles. As reckless as it may sound, Yue had decided to fight the upcoming battle alone… for the sake of the country, and for the sake of peace that had not yet abandoned this world. One fateful day, a mystical feather came down from the heavens and granted King Yue an enormous power that no one can compare to or rival with, not even his brother's evil dark magic. Finally, the day of the last battle came. Using the power of the mystical feather, King Yue was able to defeat the inhuman warriors that King Ashura had summoned forth. Having the last hope of saving the world from darkness, he trapped his twin brother along with the feather inside the Realm of Darkness. Centuries have past and until now, no one has been able to unlock the said realm which is believed to lie underneath the palace grounds. However…

"… Someone is trying to mess up with this sacred force and is threatening to release the Prince of the Demons, am I right?" Fay continued, halting Arashi's story-telling. A small grin graced on his face as he relaxed himself on the cozy chair. Arashi and her husband stared at him, wide-eyed. "How did you know?!" Sorata queried, placing his hands on either side of his hips. The lanky magician laughed briefly.

"That was only a lucky guess. I actually thought that that might be the case since a lot of "Fantasy" TV series have the same problem all the time, right Kuro-pon?" The said ninja just grunted in response and eyed the couple in front of him. He saw that Sorata had a bewildered look on his face, asking his wife what "TV series" are. She only shrugged, leaving her mind to wonder what it was too. "Hmm…" the duo hummed together, as they thought for an answer. Kurogane just shook his head and glared at the person seated next to him. "Look at what you've done, dumbass!" he hissed as he pointed at the befuddled people with his own head. "Stop messing with other people's minds will you!" Fay, who could sometimes get too slow in understanding things in his own way, turned to where his companion was pointing at. In a few moments, he just snickered.

"Don't concern yourselves with what I just said. It's… something that I often watch for entertainment in different worlds." He said thoughtfully to them and smiled once more.

"Oh. You mean like Gladiator shows?"

"Oh no, don't mistaken it for that! It's... something that you watch on a little black box with this mirror-like thingy that is called a TV. To be honest, I don't quite know how to explain it. Hahaha!"

Sorata nodded in amazement and listened to Fay intently as the blonde continued to talk about the TV. Now they're talking about the remote control and what TV series can show…

"Eeeeh?! But, how can the people fit themselves inside that "TV" you're talking about? Won't they just squish themselves while fighting for space and air to breathe?"

Arashi coughed purposely for a while, trying to stop her husband and Fay from chattering about nonsense. It didn't have anything to do with their mission after all. "Ehem. So, anyway… Let's talk about the rest tomorrow, when all of you are complete and undistracted, shall we?" She suggested, walking towards the door that leads to the main hall.

"Sounds like a good idea… I'm actually getting a little light-headed in here." Fay said, lifting himself up and stretching his arms freely in the air. When all of them were heading out of the dining room, the priestess gave one last remark before they departed.

"I shall also present you to the current ruler of this kingdom tomorrow morning. Be prepared." At this, she left the men by themselves and headed to her room.

"By the way, do y'guys know where your guestrooms are?" Sorata asked the other two who stood next to each other. Kurogane's eyebrows wrinkled. "Why? Aren't we going to sleep where the kids are?" he questioned the man that stood right in front of him. Sorata laughed. "I figured that it might get a little too crowded if all five of y'guys were going to stay in one room. And plus, each guestroom in this palace has two beds, so I figured the heck? Why won't ya just occupy two?" he said with his very unique kansai accent. The lanky magician was puzzled by the sudden change of Sorata's way of speaking.

"That accent... where have I heard it before?"

Sorata turned to the lanky man in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"You weren't speaking kansai since this afternoon, right? Why is that?"

Sorata scratched his head and forced out a laugh. "It's because… my wife hates it. She told me that if I speak like that in front of her, she'll whack me with her ever-so-powerful hand."

So the Sorata and the Arashi we've known so far are quite like their counterparts, huh? Fay thought as he laughed at the man's sudden confession. "I can feel your pain. From the way Arashi-san acts, I can see that terrifying woman you're talking about."

"Sorata?" Arashi's voice called out from behind him. "Come on!"

"Yes, honey!" he replied with his forced fixed accent. He waved a hand at Kurogane and Fay as he ran towards his wife's call.

xxxXxxx

Fay opened the door to their shared room and walked towards the oversized window on the wall. Kurogane closed the door behind him and thought about the story told to them. He groaned deeply and thought acquiring that troublesome thing from the princess won't be an easy task. So the feather was locked deep inside another realm, huh? A Realm of Darkness, to be exact. How the hell would they be able to get it back? As he busied himself removing his headgear and cloak, Fay spoke to him.

"Kuro-sama." He called out, leaning on the wall as he stared absentmindedly outside the window and into the dark scenery of the city. "What?" the other man snapped at the blonde, untying the sashes of his armor. "What kind of dreams do you have when you sleep?"

Kurogane halted to a stop upon hearing the magician's question. Neither he knew how nor what to answer to that. For a person like Fay who only experiences never-ending nightmares that have the ability to break your soul, how could he ever tell him he often gets nice, satisfying dreams (but of course, what he considers as good dreams are the dreams that involve himself slicing off the heads of other people.) The ninja just ignores the question and sits on top of his own bed. "You don't have to know and it's none of your business." He growled. The lanky magician just faked a hearty laugh and shed off the two coats he usually wore.

"I guess Kuro-tan's right. It is none of my business."

Fay neatly hung his clothes on a nearby chair and slung himself on top of the other unoccupied bed that was located on the right side of the room, covering his body with a blanket. "Good Night, Kuro-sama…" He muttered tiredly.

Kurogane lay down too and faced the right side of the bed, while Fay faced the left side. Their backs are turned to each other…

Silence.

"…"

There was only silence that surrounded their shared room, as if both of them were asleep. But both were still awake, waiting for the other to say something. After a moment or two, Kurogane suddenly-and unexpectedly- started a short-willed conversation.

'Oy, mage." He murmured lowly. Fay fluttered his eyes open when he heard his companion's voice.

"What is it, Kuro-muu?" came the reply.

"If you tell me what you dreamt of that night you cried like crazy, I'll tell you what you want."

The words came to the blonde magician slowly. He never knew that the ninja would ask for such a big deal. If you look at the little quirk he just wanted to know about Kurogane, it was nothing compared to what the bigger man longed to figure out. Does Kurogane think that sharing a past of sadness and strife is as easy as counting with your fingers? No, it wasn't simple... Not even a tiny bit of courage could summon up the story.

"… What are you talking about Kuro-pii?"

"Stop pretending, you idiot."

"No, seriously! When did you see me cry? I don't remember anything."

"… Hmph."

"Well?"

"That night when you cried on me!"

Fay closed his eyes once more, trying his best to forget what had happened during that time. Finding himself incapable of disregarding such a memory, he just wrapped himself tighter in his blanket and hoped that at least the ninja will pay it no mind.

"Are you sure Kuro-sama didn't dream of that? Maybe he dreamt of me crying in front of him. That's possible, right?"

After Kurogane heard the magician say that, he just snarled and once again tried his best to fall asleep.

If I had the chance… I would protect you even in your dreams. That night Kurogane whispered his newly-found desire to the wind, he didn't know that Fay had heard him. Fay lay on his stomach and sighed softly on the pillow he buried his face on.

"The strength you possess can't protect me, Kuro-sama… There are some things strength alone can't protect, and it takes more than that to save the people you love…"

And with that, he closed his eyes and faked sleep.

xxxXxxx

A/N: LOL That was only the prologue ;D hihi~ I know, it's… freakishly, insanely, abnormally long, but hey, it's still KuroFay X'3

So…

Any comments? Suggestions? BETA stuff? Requests (no, really)? Cuz I don't know how to start my first chapter.. T^T

P.S- OMG!!! FAY HAS AN EYE NOW *GASP* I STILL HOPE HE REMAINS AS A VAMPIRE!!!!! (Wanna know why? For it to remain as more canon as ever and for the other Kuro-blank- fans to keep quiet and unable to cuss about KuroFay, ne? *wink wink* *nudge nudge*


End file.
